There is Light!

Today the IT specialist from both schools attended my morning classes. The students began reading their Questions handouts from the Google Site and collaborated on a Google Doc: Packet 2 Notes. They are building a study guide and question list for the Packet 2 quiz.

Initially there was a dance of access, since the Google Groups made yesterday were visible from one school but not the other. That was corrected and  things got lively!  Most of the students in Period 2 are repeaters so they did not have to linger over the reading as long as Period 1. The study guide is building, and the quiz questions are being formulated.

Some had time to introduce more gadgets into their blog, heightening their opinion of Blogger as a journaling tool. Locating personal gadgets that make their blogs useful was successful as far as I could tell. A couple students started to get overzealous with off-topic gadgets and toys, but once they were reminded that this particular Blog is topic related the choices were more focused.

Big sigh of relief today.

YouTube For Learning

When I was going through the technology graduate course last semester, I found that many things I did not know how to do could be learned watching YouTube videos. In fact, I found I could learn in a short 1-2 minute video what I would otherwise have needed to spend hours reading about.

This is the lesson I wanted to impart through my class website -- teach some of the lessons via YouTube instead of bogging down the students with numerous handouts (which they probably were not going to read anyway). I assume that, like me, they'd rather get the nugget of information they need than sift through a lot of reading to find help.

However, the students cannot access the YouTube videos I have embedded in the Site. They can see it initially, but upon clicking on the play arrow, a box pops up saying they do not have permission. I have run the Researcher vs. Retriever video in my computer for the small group to gather and see, but really?  We wanted to have a self-pacing class whereby students accessed what they needed when they needed it...not always wait for everyone to see and hear the information at the same time.

Black Screen (starring Black Screen)

Apps Aquisition

This plan was to move forward and try to have the old laptops run the apps we need for this class. IT took  all other programs off the computers to keep the equipment from running background programs. I found the apps I wanted the students to add to their Google Drive from the Chrome Store. Since it is early dismissal for parent conferences today, going on a virtual shopping trip was the perfect way to lighten spirits with visual progress.

I went to the Chrome Store, got EasyBib, Diigo, Idea Mapper, dictionary.com, Google Maps (which I didn't need because it's in Drive already, as is Google Calendar). The students arrived, got logged in and then signed in, and when trying to get the apps they were met with warning boxes saying they had no access.

Back to another Plan B, which was to revisit the Blogger lesson and writing their first post about the first lesson: What is a Researcher? based on a YouTube I showed them yesterday (which they could not access from the Google Site themselves, so I had to show it on my desktop computer--totally defeating thec concept of self-pacing).

What's the point of having targeted tutorials for self-pacing lessons if I have to gather everyone whether they are ready or not for a communal viewing? Now I'm wondering, do I go back and prepare handouts and binders again?

We are behind and it seems that many students need to have their hand held for every click they make. Very different than the digital literacy survey would have me think their abilities are.

ChromeBooks back-order

So, this is my story today:

My current technology is locking up and essentially flipping out because of what we're trying to do on it. The students have re-taken the surveys after several tries against freezing screens and slow loading, and are getting frustrated and rolling their eyes since this is basically more of the same (for those who have taken this class before). IT at the School Board Office says it will be another 3-4 weeks until I get the Chrome Books to which you can imagine how MY eyeballs were rolling into the back of my head.

For now, the solution is to strip the laptops I currently use of all school division stuff except Chrome so when it is being accessed nothing else is running in the background. That is supposed to make them work more efficiently. Tomorrow we get the blogs set up so the url's can be put into the Accessibility survey. Friday, the IT guys visit both schools and do a Blogger audit to see that what we have can be used.

I can barely believe the level of frustration I feel. The money is there, the plan was in place for what seems like forever, and now we are waiting for Samsung to manufacture the units. Geez.

In hindsight, it would have been helpful to be told what was happening. I could have planned my lessons according, the students could have been prepared, and the transition between the old way and the digital way could have been smoother.

After the Snow Days

Wednesday the students submitted the first three surveys: Digital Literacy, Composition, and Research Skills.  This will give a baseline for their comfort levels regarding technology, writing and typing skills, and prior research knowledge.

After taking the surveys, I realized two of the three did not have names for pre- and post semester data comparisons. Since the students would have to take two of the surveys again, Composition and Research Skills, the snow days provided an excellent opportunity to revisit and correct the details I missed from the start. The Research Skills questions were changed to get short, one or two word answers, and the Composition survey answer scale was reversed to make sense [least to greater, instead of greater to least - a course of student negative comments the first time]. 

We are still using the old technology of plug-in laptops that lock up frequently, repeatedly causing frustrations with the students. Links cannot be seen in their class Site and the connection drops without warning. I am still unsure when the new equipment will arrive, and whether I should to go back to the paper format. The grant was given to me for 10 Chrome Books at a December 20th faculty meeting. MMmmmm.

Looking Toward The First Day

The First Day will be spent with introductions, gathering permission letters, laying out a brief outline of the three purposes of research we will cover over the semester, getting the students logged into the Google system, and finding the class Google website to take the three initial surveys.

The goals initially:

get their passwords settled
learn how to log off when done and how to NOT have Chrome 'Remember Me'
locate the class's Google Site
take the preliminary surveys

Preparing for The Study

What began as a casual comment and connection made as an graduate class assignment has become a full-blown study examining the use of digital technology in the classroom. Initially, I was considering how my research classes would react to the use of the free web-based research tools. However, the concept grew to include a remote teaching tool for a student taking her Spanish class through my research class, and for differentiation tool for two US History students (to take my research class, they have to be rescheduled into a class of 6 learning disabled students -- a move not usually considered for gifted thinkers).

The goal is to see how learning and differentiation is affected with the use of digital tools.

To date:

Surveys have been built to assess pre-course digital literacy, composition/typing skills, and research skills. A fourth survey will be completed when the students have built their blogs (which become their learning process journals and collaborative tools). The first three assessments will be given again at the end of the semester for comparison, along with a opinion poll about the overall experience.

The group of students spread between two middle schools. All students will have access to each other's blogs, and will be able to collaborative with each other between schools. There are 18 students: 5 eight graders, 13 seventh graders; 12 boys, 6 girls; 8 have taken this research elective previously, 10 are new students (4 have taken this research elective twice before); this will involve working with two teachers who have not worked with free web-based products before.

The course's Google site was built (see below) to include updated versions of the handouts usually provided, plus the first day surveys. YouTube tutorial videos have been included throughout the pages to illustrate the concepts, along with links to direct students attention as needed for special information about the researching process. Quizzes will be available as the students move through the packet/pages of information.

This is the home page of the class Google Site -- it shows the navigation plan to access information.